A Dance in the Right Direction
by Wulver
Summary: Some say you might need a push in the right direction and others say you may just crash that way. So can a dance do the same?


**Just something that sort of came to me the last time I watched iSpeed Date.**

"And...why are we all focused on me? Sam doesn't have a date yet either!" Carly exclaimed to her friends, trying to lessen her already monumental embarrassment.

Sam just rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah…cause girls' choice dances are stupid."

Both the blonde's friends saw right through her lie. Carly knew since Sam had straight up said she would like to go a few days ago right before rehearsal and she was probably just trying to put up an act for Freddie. Freddie knew for the simple fact that he had accidentally eavesdropped on his way to rehearsal said rehearsal.

"If a guy wants a date with Mamma, _he_ should ask me."

That simple phrase may have just saved the resident tech producer's first dance. Sure, he had been asked by Jamie and Ariana but there were two huge problems with going with them. One, they both were known for talking someone's ear off and while Freddie was okay with girls who talk a bit, listening to either one of them for the whole night might very well destroy what little sanity he had left. Two, according to Wendy, they had both recently broke up with their boyfriends, so it was very likely that they were just trying to make their ex's jealous. Of course, Freddie being who he is would never call them out on it, he was just too nice. Finally coming to a decision, a possibly life threatening one for him, the techie pulled together some of his courage and a large portion of insanity.

"Okay. You want to go to the dance with me?"

Both girls froze in an instant. Slowly, the two turned to the techie and stared at him wide-eyed thinking he'd gone crazy, which might have been true. The sound of Sam's bag of bacon hitting the floor seemed to pull both of them out of their heads. The bag lay forgotten on the ground as the blonde went as far as cleaning out her ears to make sure she heard right.

"W-what?" Carly stuttered as she tried to understand what was happening. Logic dictated that the current situation was an impossible scenario.

Freddie sighed, thinking he should of seen their reactions coming.

"I asked Sam if she wanted to go to the dance with me."

The blonde-headed demon decided the craziness needed to stop and asked possibly the most confusing question of her young life.

"Why would you," she pointed at her best guy friend, "want to go on a date with me?" and finished pointing to herself.

"It's not a date; it's just two friends going to have fun. Plus this helps all of us. You don't have to deal with Carly eventually forcing you to ask someone." The brunette gave him a shocked look before really thinking about it and accepting that she would probably do that. "I don't have to go with one of two girls who probably just asked me to make their ex-boyfriends jealous." Sam's slow starting jab at him immediately told him she was looking for some semblance of normalcy. His brunette friend followed up with how it would benefit her. "Because if the guy you'll eventually ask turns out to be skeevy, Sam can deal with him." He noticed that Sam's face went serious at the thought of some guy messing with Carly inappropriately. "So do you want to go?"

Sam was truly terrified at the fact that she was really considering going with him. A 'not-date' with Freddie Benson of all people, though she had to give him props. He was one of the only guys to have the cojones to ask the Sam 'The Demon' Puckett to a dance. The dork also made a few good points. She wouldn't have to deal with Carly forcing her to ask some random guy or, God forbid, Gibby to go. It also stopped two hussies from taking advantage of him. Only Carly and she were allowed to do that. There was also a chance she'd get to hurt some guy and neither of her friends would be upset with her, a big selling point for her. What finished it for the meat-lover was the simple fact that she really wanted to go and have fun with Carly and that for once in her life, an actually decent guy was asking. Not some jerk that would stare at other girls the whole time or try and grope her all night. Though she had decided in her head to say yes, saying it out loud was much more difficult and awkward.

"O...kay?"

"Cool. I'll pick you up Friday night at six," Freddie said casually, as if she wasn't normally his personal 'insultant', and left the girls to go to class.

As soon as he was out of sight, Carly's head whipped around to her blonde friend.

"What the chiz is going on?!"

The girl just shook her head and slowly said, "I...have no idea...," before disappearing into a mass of students. Lucky for her, she only had to sit through one more class before the day was over. Because of Fredward Benson and his stupid asking her to the dance, _the _Sam Puckett actually paid attention in class just to not think about it. The only upside to her plight was that she was pretty sure if the bell had waited five more minutes and Ms. Briggs head might have exploded. Something about knowing she had a prank up her sleeve and the blonde was just waiting for the right moment. Sadly there was no 'head-blowing-up' action. The second the ending bell rang, the Puckett left the building.

Her good mood lasted all of five hundred feet. Then thoughts of Freddie came back with a vengeance. It made her wish for the most blasphemous thing for kids and teens alike. She wished school had lasted longer. Truly questioning her sanity, Sam focused until she realized it was the distraction of the unholy place she needed. If it was distractions she needed, it would be distractions she'd make.

So for the next two hours, Sam had some fun. Pick pocketing random people on the street, using said swiped money to buy ham and other 'Sam necessities', and messing with hobos. Basically anything seen as a misdemeanor by law, she did it and everyone was none the wiser. Somehow or another she ended up at the Bushwell and made her way up to Carly's but not before throwing her last low fat FATcake at a screaming Lewbert. He'd wake up by the time she left later that night. The blonde was barely in the door when her best friend attacked her for twittering about the whole spitting in what-his-face's eye. After her 'punishment', they headed up the studio to perfect one of the bits for the show later that night. Everything was going great until Freddie showed up to do his job.

One word. Awkward.

Well, awkward for everyone but their dorky friend. He was acting like nothing was out of the ordinary and all was right with the world. Like asking out on a 'not-date' the person who causes him constant physical and emotional pain was nothing but a common occurrence. Frankly, it was pissing her off to a level she had never reached. Before she could say anything though, he had picked up his camera and started doing the countdown. It was a welcomed distraction. As the show started to wind down to the finish, the feeling of awkward was starting to come back for Sam. So she did what Pucketts do best, next to picking locks of course. She improvised and used the power of iCarly to get Carly a date.

_Friday Night. . . _

Sam was officially having a meltdown.

Some may ask why the normally calm, except when food is present or when someone lit her already short fuse, Sam Puckett is having a meltdown. Well there was a rather simple answer.

"I have nothing to wear!"

The blonde had searched just about every nook and cranny in her room and still nothing. Or at least nothing that seemed to be just right. As much as the she-devil didn't want to admit it, she wanted to look nice for Freddie. She also wanted to prove that she could do it by herself, which meant no help from Carly. This would explain her current meltdown of epic proportions. She had one place left to look but she was trying to avoid it.

Her closet or as she liked to call it 'The Vortex', every kid had one in there room. A drawer, a shelf, or even a corner of their room; a place they just threw clothes or things that just didn't really have anywhere else it needed to be. But Sam, being the lazy person she is, had a whole closest just for all the clutter she had. Checking her alarm clock, Sam found that she didn't really have time to worry. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to her closet, shut her eyes, opened the door, and waited for the avalanche. Feeling nothing after a minute, a single, blue eye slowly opened and her body froze.

Before her wasn't the vortex of clutter she had collected over the years. Someone had come into her room and organized everything. Shoes were with their matches and clothes were on hangers, it was like she was supposed to be able to find things! Her mood went from girly teenage meltdown to seething anger. "Whoever did this is so going to..." Her promise of pain was halted when she found an outfit that she didn't recognize. Attached to the outfit was a note from, oddly enough, her sister.

_Dear Sam,_

_I bet you're ticked about it but I fixed up your closet for you and if you're wondering about the outfit, I saw it the other day while shopping with Carly and thought you might like it._

_Your other half,_

_Mel_

Giving the outfit another once over, she whispered for the first time in a long time, "Thanks, sis." She had just finished putting on a touch of lip gloss when she heard a knock at the door. Slipping on her black converses, no one would ever get her into a pair of heels ever again, she opened the door to see Freddie fiddling with his phone.

"Hey Sam, are you ready to- Whoa!" Freddie couldn't help but gulp nervously and not in the bad way. Sam looked, for lack of a better word, amazing. It was like something she would have worn when she was trying to impress Pete but it screamed more of Sam's normal style, something he enjoyed more than the girly stuff on her. She could definitely get any guy looking like that.

"What are you looking at?" Sam asked feeling a bit self-conscious dressed as she was.

The techie shook his head hoping to shake himself out the daze. It didn't work all the way.

"Nothing. I just thought you look kind of...amazing."

"Oh," red started to dusk her cheeks a bit, "thanks...you too."

"Maybe we should...get going?" Freddie asked awkwardly while scratching the back of his neck. This was not how he expected the night to start off.

The blonde just nodded and they were off.

By the time they reached the school, all semblance of awkward had disappeared for Sam. It was just like any other day they were hanging out. The only difference was she was in a skirt and Freddie looked admittedly cuter than his usually dorky self. The moment they were through the door, after having the ticket guy gape at them, Sam was pulling him to the dance floor. About halfway through their third or fourth song they bumped into Carly and Austin, though Carly seemed to be bothered by something. "Freddie," the blonde screamed over the music, "take the dude and get us some drinks." Austin looked like he was about to say something but Freddie grabbed the taller boy's collar and started dragging him off. Sam had force herself to not lick her lips. She'd always got a bit strange when assertive Freddie came out. Shaking her head, Sam turned to the problem at hand. "What's up with you, Carls? You're shakier than my cousin Roxi the first time she stole a car." When she was hoping for the brunette's usual roll of the eyes, the blonde got Carly's also usual nervous babbling. Something was definitely wrong.

Carly knew Sam wouldn't give this up. Her infinite stubbornness combined with her unyielding loyalty made it impossible. Giving in, she bowed her head and pointed up onto the stage where _he_ was playing guitar. Griffen. It was kind of strange seeing him again when she'd walked in with Austin but that was passed over by how happy she was to see him. A few days after their breakup, the brunette felt horrible for how things ended and went to apologize. But every time she was about to knock, her brain psyched her out and she'd run home to scream into her pillow. Weeks had gone by and not a single sign of him. It hurt going from seeing him every day to not even catching a glimpse of him on her way in or out of the apartment. Then there was how angry he'd seemed when he left. It was stupid but the idea of someone being mad at her, especially him, bothered her to no end.

Austin had just started pulling her to the dance floor when Griffen spotted her and their eyes seemed to lock on each other. All the feelings she thought she'd buried started to bubble to the surface. The brunette quickly turned away and went back to her current date. As she danced with Austin, she felt musician's constant stare on her. Austin must have noticed her ex because he seemed to change as time passed. He'd roughly pull her close on songs that weren't even close to slow and wouldn't let her move away. His hands also kept getting lower and lower with each song.

"Just...try to ignore him, I guess," Sam called out, breaking her from her thoughts. She had just nodded her head when Freddie and Austin came back. Her date still looked angry so Sam answer only solved one of her current problems. He almost immediately pulled her off from her friends.

Griffen's band did a few more songs before letting a DJ put a slow song over the sound system.

"So..."

Freddie was feeling exponentially more nervous than he'd been all night. While the others had just been them having fun dancing close together, this was different and he didn't know the rules of Sam Puckett and slow dancing. His answer came swift as the blonde demon grabbed his wrists and put his hands in the middle of her back before wrapping her own around his neck. From there they just swayed easily to the music, his nervousness gone. It was nice being this close to Sam without being on the end of some physical abuse, almost...natural. The smile on her face just made the whole night seem all the better. She was practically glowing and he might have been the one to put it there. In his opinion, the night was now a complete success. "Why do you keep doing that?" He blinked and her smile was replaced by a very sour look.

"What?"

"Why do you keep looking off somewhere?" Sam asked, failing to hide her insecurity. It bothered her that he was here with her and looking off to somewhere else. Not that she wanted his complete attention but she thought Freddie wasn't like the other douchebags she ended up with. Apparently the blonde was wrong.

"I'm doing the same thing you've oh so subtlely been doing every few minutes."

The slight smirk on his face told the demon he had her red handed.

The blonde ducked her head, blood rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment. She thought she'd been smooth enough for him not to notice her keeping an eye on Carly. Now she felt bad for even thinking Freddie of all people was that type of guy. "I'm just checking to make sure Carly isn't letting Griffen bother her." His eyebrows scrunched together after she told him. Obviously, this wasn't what he was doing. "According to your face, we're looking at two completely different things. Spill it." If he was checking out Carly right in front of her, he was going to end up six feet under within the hour.

"I'm watching Austin to make sure he doesn't try anything stupid. He seemed angry bordering on crazy when we went to get drinks. You should have heard some of the things he was saying."

This was news to Sam. Her head immediately turned to where she last saw Carly and found nothing there. She looked everywhere with no sign of her anywhere. Then the blonde heard an all too familiar scream and a crash. Grabbing Freddie's hand, she started pulling him to where a group of people started moving away from. The sight that met them was not what she was expecting.

Griffen was beating on Austin, who he had apparently been tackled through a refreshment table. Carly had a hold of his jacket and was trying to pull him off. "You go left. I'll go right." Without a word of agreement, the two swooped down, got under Griffen's arms and pulled him back. He thrashed wildly in their arms but they managed to hold him in place. When he finally calmed down enough to form words, he pointed at the still downed boy and warned, "You ever touch her like that again and I'll kill you." The seriousness in his voice made both of them look to him before turning to Carly and noticing her cheek was turning an angry red color. Just as Austin got up, he was pounced on by Hurricane Sam.

Suffice to say they were all kicked out and Austin was sent to the hospital for numerous broken bones. Griffen promised he would get Carly home, so Freddie walked Sam home. It was a long silent walk but it didn't feel odd to them. They weren't fighting so things didn't end up awkward. That is until they reached Sam's house. They stood more than a little awkwardly in front of Sam's door, not really sure what to do next.

"So..."

"So...sorry. You know about getting us kicked out."

Freddie laughed and said, "It's okay. Remember, that was one of the reasons you wanted to go." He gave her a look that told her she couldn't lie to him. "Besides how many people can say their first dance was that interesting?" He smiled trying to reassure her he had fun.

Sam let the smallest hint a smile cross her face before giving a quick look at the door.

"I guess this is goodnight, Benson."

Before she knew what he was doing, Freddie kissed her cheek and said, "Night, Puckett," then started to leave, trying to shake off the feeling of wanting more.

Sam stood there frozen as he left. She reached for the door but a sudden urge took over her. Her shoes thudded on the ground as she chased after Freddie. He had obviously heard her as he turned around before she even reached him. He didn't even get a word out when she grabbed his jacket and pulled his lips into hers. It wasn't anything big and was barely longer than their first. Sam let go of him and walked back home and into her room. She closed her door and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor as a very satisfied feeling washed over her. "What the chiz is going on?"

Freddie walked home in a daze asking himself the same question.

**Well there you have it. Hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think.**


End file.
